The legend continues
By Sukunami Taka
Chapter one – Introduction
She peered cautiously in. The dojo com house was in darkness, all was quiet save the rustling of leaves swaying in the wind, so she sighed a breath of relief before tip-toeing across the garden to the back…..
" I believe that that is MY sword, Kyoshi….."
Ichi……she grimaced..caught on her tenth step. The moon came into light, illuminating a still shadow on the porch. Fiery hair tinged with age parted to reveal calm pale-lavender eyes. The man, dressed in a red qi-pao, was seated complacently on his knees, awaiting an answer from the young woman who was so-in-trouble if she was caught by her mother.
"Hehehe….ohaiyo, otousan….."
"Ohaiyo? Oiyasumi is more like it….your qi-pao is torn, there's mud under your foot….you've been fighting by the river?"
"Ichi…." Himura Kyoshi pouted, trying to mimic puppy-dog eyes, " Komen, otousan….demo…hehe….you won't tell 'kasan……will you?"
Sighing in defeat, Kenshin smiled, unable to win over his beloved daughter, "Come here…." As she plopped next to him, he patted her ebony hair, ruffling it up in a playful manner. Kyoshi whined in response, tugging away Kenshin's sleeve. After a while, his face grew serious and he took a deep breath, "Kyoshi…." "Eh….hai, narni?"
" There was a government official here today……there's trouble in the capital…."
"Sho…..shoka….."
" I'll have to go….with okasan……anatawa wa kat ta des ka?"
Her hands clenched, as Kyoshi bit her lower lip, holding back tears, "When….?"
" Tomorrow…." He squeezed her tensed shoulder and murmured reassuringly, " Dai jou bu…you'll have Yoshi-jisan and Suzi and Yumi-nesan…."
" It's not that……otousan, you'll come back, right?"
He paused, then kissed her on the head, " Hai, hai, I promise……"
" KENSHIN….." a grumbling voice came from inside. "Oro…." He beamed and laughed, " Okasan's calling….go to sleep, ok, Kyo?" "Um…" she nodded, watching her father shamble back inside. As the moon slinked behind trailing clouds, a solitary figure remained, hunched in thought…..
~
Myojin Yohiko, now a strapping young man, lugged the heavy bags onto the cart, his face contorted in annoyance all the while. "Kaoru!" he grumbled.
Kenshin, his royal-blue clothes fluttering gently, hugged his silent daughter, "Look after the dojo, ok, my little samurai?" he whispered. Kyoshi gulped back what she had wanted to say. Instead, she nodded and grinned, " Wakata, otousan…"
As they set off, Himura Kaoru looked back at the group-Yumi and Suzi, two beautiful women who never stop smiling, and Yahiko, pretending to be tough, and her daughter, standing determinedly. "Kenshin," she started but was cut off by the red haired samurai, looking forward intently on the road, " She's growing up….I'm sure she'll be fine……don't worry…."
Kaoru giggled, knowingly, "I wonder who's the one who's worried," she chided her easy-going husband……
Kenshin suddenly halted the cart, startling Kaoru, "Ken….arre…."
A man, blowzy brown hair covering his eyes, stood by the road, unassuming. With bandages wrapped around his chest, arms, and legs, and an immense sword that towered high over his head, he winked and catapulted easily into the cart, behind the couple.
"Oro," Kenshin glanced back, wondering. Sagara Sanosuke, his long time friend, laughed, a booming sound that scattered the birds away, "Trouble in the capital, and Kenshin the wanderer is on his travels again, so I must follow, neh?" Kenshin chuckled, flicking the reins to continue once more, "What about…." Lounging blissfully, Sanosuke closed his eyes, "Don't worry, I've sent Shota to your place….he can keep your Kyoshi company, and she, him out of trouble…." "Hai, hai…."
~
Dawn's light filtered through the shutters, rousing Kyoshi. She lay awake, refusing to get up. Day number one, how many to go? She thought sullenly, turning on her side, to see………tawny hair covered his youthful face which was resting, half-hidden in his arms, and a dark colored blanket lied over his seemingly bare well-toned body. The man slept on, unaware of Kyoshi, whose jaw had dropped in utter indignant shock. Furious at the sight of the trespasser, Kyoshi picked up the first thing she found (unfortunately for the stranger, it was her kendo stick) and the result…..
He jolted awake, yelping in pain with each contact of the weapon, as a female scream echoed ( shatteringly) through the house…….
A/N Taka: ano……..well, how do you like it? Should I continue? This is my first Rurouni Kenshin fic….and I've just started watching the anime….so…..arre……….read and review…..arigato…….
